Comfort Food

In the days following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, restaurants across the United States reported an increase in the sale of hamburgers and pasta. Pizza appeared on the bar menus of restaurants in lower Manhattan that had never offered it before. Soup sales shot up at some restaurants. London Grill, a fine dining restaurant in Philadelphia, reported an increase of between 25 and 30 percent in sales of hamburgers, chili, fish and chips, and chocolate pudding. The Tribeca Grand, a tony hotel near the rubble that once was the World Trade Center, was accustomed to catering to the fashion and film industries. Suddenly it found itself serving Salisbury steak and grilled cheese sandwiches. The menu items that saw increased popularity after 9/11 are by definition “comfort food.”